


Silver Lining

by DetectiveRiley (RavenWhitecastle)



Series: The Sinner and the Saint [45]
Category: Person of Interest (TV)
Genre: Gen, Hope, Hopeful Ending, Post Samaritan, Samaritan vs. The Machine, Short, Simulation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-16
Updated: 2020-06-16
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:00:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 601
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24761995
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RavenWhitecastle/pseuds/DetectiveRiley
Summary: The war against Samaritan grows more grim with each passing day, and Harold has just about given up hope. But just beyond the storm lies something he did not expect- a silver lining.-Takes place immediately after Chapter 1 of "Negotiations."
Relationships: Harold Finch/John Reese, Root | Samantha Groves/Sameen Shaw
Series: The Sinner and the Saint [45]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/940422
Comments: 6
Kudos: 18





	Silver Lining

_ October 20th, 2015 _

Machine: 0

Samaritan: 100385020122

The situation was getting increasingly dire with every passing day. Harold sat at his desk, anxiously watching the Faraday cage and gnawing on a pen. He had known that the simulation was a long shot when he’d set it up, although he had tried to cling to hope, like the Machine had told him to. There was always hope, Root had said on the Machine’s behalf, but at the moment, he was having trouble finding any.

His rumination was interrupted by Root’s voice. “Well then, soldier,” she greeted, “How goes the day?”

Harold turned to see Root removing a black pixie wig with purple streaks and shoving it into a pin-covered backpack.

He sighed. He’d never appreciated being compared to a soldier, but the longer they fought, the more apt it seemed. “The same as always,” he answered. He gestured to her disguise. “Who were you this time?”

Root rolled her eyes as she unpinned her curls and let her hair down. “College student Cassidy Bitner,” she replied, “attending an incredibly boring lecture. Well, boring right up until the end.” She smirked before glancing at the Faraday cage. “No progress yet?”

Harold shook his head. Biting his thumb, he took a deep and heavy breath. “I no longer know what I’m supposed to do,” he said, quietly this time. His brow was furrowed, and tension was rolling off of him in waves.

Coming up behind him, Root put a hand on Harold’s shoulder. “There’s still time,” she murmured.

“Not enough,” he argued, “Not only does the world get more dangerous every day Samaritan is active, but John has grown tired of living in the shadows, and frankly so have I.”

Root sighed. “So have we all.” Harold looked up at her. “Shaw’s going stir crazy. Every day I wake up wondering if the next identity will be my last.”

Harold placed a hand on top of hers on his shoulder. He opened his mouth to say something, but he couldn’t find the words. Root squeezed his shoulder before walking over to the Faraday cage. Clearing his throat, Harold fiddled with the files on his desk, which were already impeccably straight. He’d stopped checking on the simulation days ago. The results were always discouraging at best.

A minute passed in total silence before Root’s voice entered Harold’s awareness again. At first, he wasn’t even certain he’d heard it, it had been so soft and unsure. When he looked up, Root was staring at the screen in the cage with wide, shining eyes, her lips slightly parted. “Harry?” she called again.

The urgency in her voice drove him from his seat. “Miss Groves?” He hobbled to the cage as quickly as his injury would allow. “Is everything all right?”

“You’re going to want to see this.”

Hurriedly, Harold let himself in and joined Root on the other side of the desk. He couldn’t hold back a gasp when his eyes landed on the screen.

“Are you seeing what I’m seeing?” Root asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Swallowing, Harold nodded. “Yes, Miss Groves. Which means-”

“Yeah. Yeah, it does.” Root let out a breathy laugh, and Harold felt his face displaying the hint of a smile. 

Samaritan: 10038711468

Machine: 1

The number of points Samaritan had was still going up, but the Machine’s zero had most certainly changed into a one.

Harold smiled again. “I’d practically given up hoping that it was even possible,” he whispered.

Root reached out to take his hand. “Smile, Harry,” she said, “It’s the beginning of a brand new day.”

**Author's Note:**

> I don't think I used "silver lining" entirely correctly in this context, but I think it fits the tone of this story. Not going to lie, I'm pretty proud of how this part turned out. Writing Root and Harold's interactions is one of my favorite things.   
> Thank you for reading! Stay tuned for more.


End file.
